The Warmth of Snow
by animeinvasiongirl
Summary: Years around one another, and they still don't fully understand each other. One incident changes that. InuyashaxYuYuHakusho CrossOver. HieixKagome pairing. Written for The Deadliest Sin Communities Contest - Theme: February. ONE-SHOT.


Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. They belong to their respective owners. I make no profit from the writing of this FanFiction story.

A/N: This piece was written for The Deadliest Sin Communities Contest. The theme was "February" and we were to write something that tied in anything that related to February. I had a difficult time pinning down a concrete idea that flowed well. As it is, I have two other one-shots that are half-way finished. I got to that point before realizing I didn't like how they were turning out and I began writing anew. Somehow, this was born. I hope you enjoy it. Please note that it's a separate story because it's a contest entry.

A/N #2: *sheepish* I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to put this up before the judging began, so it was disqualified for the contest. I ended up taking one of my other false starts and finishing it to create "No Words". It was submitted into the contest and took first place! So I'm happy about that, but I'm a bit embarrassed that I didn't know the rules. xD Thank you everyone who enjoys this one though - your praise means everything to this humble writer. :)

Title: The Warmth of Snow

Summary: Years around one another, and they still don't fully understand one another. One incident changes that. HieixKagome pairing. ONE-SHOT. If I get enough response, I'll maybe continue it down the line.

Words: 3,316

Written for: The Deadliest Sin Community

Prompt: February

Kagome glanced up worriedly to the skies. It was turning darker by the moment and she tightened her grip on the bags of groceries in her arms subconsciously. She should have known that the weather wouldn't hold off long enough for her to get back to the temple, but she had no choice. Yusuke ate like there were ten of him, and along with the rest of the Tantei it was damn near impossible to keep food in the house. She was certain that someday she'd go broke feeding all of the mouths at the temple, but Koenma had been very generous for as long as she'd lived here. She was turned into this temple's caretaker after the woman who'd owned the place passed on. She hadn't known Genkai that well, but Yusuke always spoke fondly of her. When she'd passed on, the toushin had been named the heir to the expansive property, but he knew little about running his own place, and that was about the time she'd returned from the Senkoku Jidai for the final time, and she'd first met the Reikai Tantei. He entrusted the running of the temple to her, and she hadn't looked back.

As she picked up her pace, she let a light smile cross her lips. It had been a long road since she'd returned from the Feudal Era for the final time. It was hard to say good-bye to that life, but she knew it was for the best. She belonged here, in this Era, with the modern conveniences that she had grown up with and appreciated far more now that she'd been able to live life back in a time where there was no running water and electricity. Since that time, she'd run into the Reikai Tantei, been told that she was an immortal being, and had to come to terms that she was different. No matter how much she protested that she was just a normal, high-school girl, the proof was in the pudding, figuratively speaking, and she had learned to accept that she wasn't just a normal human. Thankfully, she had fallen in with a group of people who were just as different as she was, and she'd learned that being different didn't have to be all bad – in fact, different helped her, help her new friends.

She couldn't count the many times that they'd come back injured from the Makai, and her powers had helped heal them. It was disconcerting to know that some demons never changed their ways, but at least she felt useful now; she did her part to help them, and herself.

It had been over a hundred years since her final trip through the well. Her family was gone; their descendants were all that remained. She couldn't bring herself to do anything but watch over them – who would have believed her far-fetched tale anyway? No, she was moving on, and going through time's flow just like her friends. She blinked as she felt a flurry of snowflakes on her forehead, before she sighed lightly and picked up her pace just a little. It was far too late to chaste herself for not forcing Yusuke out to do the shopping, but really, she didn't mind too much. With a soft '_swoosh_' sound, her umbrella opened awkwardly as she struggled to keep her arms around her bags and keep the apparatus over her head. Her hands were freezing in her gloves, and her ears and face were red from the cold. She was looking forward to Spring.

Something poked at her peripheral vision and she turned her head back a fraction only to glare. _'You'd think with me obviously struggling with everything he'd offer to help…but nooooo, he's too good for that. Cheeky bastard.'_ She thought mentally before she turned her head back and began the ascent up the temple steps, her gait unsure and rather lopsided as she fairly juggled with her purchases and the open umbrella.

Crimson eyes followed the young miko as she struggled to walk up the many steps to Genkai's temple, and he nearly snorted at her stray thought. _'Too good, indeed. Who does she think I am, a pack mule?'_ he thought with contempt. However, his eyes never strayed from her form, as a frown came to his lips. He watched as she made her way unsteadily up the stairs and he briefly wondered where the toushin or the kitsune were. Surely they would be around to help her? He glanced up as the snow began to fall in earnest, quickly coating the ground in a matter of moments. His attention drifted back to the young miko, blurred lightly by the torrent of snowflakes, before his composure shattered completely as he heard a female cry of surprise and he watched with quiet horror as she began to fall.

Kagome was muttering some choice language to herself as she slowly but surely made her way up the stairs, when suddenly the heavens opened up and it was no longer just a few flakes of the white, powdery precipitation, but a white-out of the innocent looking flakes. The suddenness of it shocked her and her arms slipped from around the groceries and the umbrella fell off to the side as her shoe slipped on the slick step it was perched on. Her mind blanked as she let out a cry, knowing she was falling, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop herself in the descent.

The hiyoukai had never moved faster in his life as he darted from the safety of the trees and landed on the steps behind her, his strength aiding him as he braced himself for her added weight. Her form collided heavily with his own, and the breath was knocked out of him as he held her upright, ignoring that the snow was melting on his arms, and her form was leaning heavily against his own, ignoring everything else but the feel of her in his arms, and thanking the gods that he was faster than her falling form was. He'd heard her surprised gasp, but it was inconsequential at the moment. He'd have never forgiven himself if anything would have happened to her. Mentally, he berated himself for not helping her sooner, but everything else he wanted to think was cut short as she turned her head around lightly and gave him a small, grateful smile.

Kagome was all prepared to eat concrete stairs, but as she closed her eyes, her back collided with a hard, firm surface, and she let out a small gasp as her eyes flew open and she registered that Hiei wasn't in his tree anymore, and that he'd been the one to save her from what could have been a very debilitating fall. Quickly, she turned her head up to give him a grateful smile, before it wavered and she shifted to steady herself. Her legs were shaking as was the rest of her. She could have been seriously hurt, and this time, Hiei wasn't saving her from a demon, but her own clumsiness.

He felt the tremors racing up and down her arms even as she tried to right herself. Slowly, he let her go and allowed her to regain her balance, although he was reluctant to do so. It was clear that she had been shaken. It wasn't something he was accustomed to. She was always confident, smiling, strong, and most of the time, very bright. She was compassionate and caring, and she treated all of them, himself included, as if they were precious. No matter how badly he treated her or talked down to her, she was kind to him. Maybe that was the reason that he couldn't allow her to come to harm. Before he could think more on it, he felt her arms around him and he blinked, turning his head down a fraction to see that she was hugging him.

Kagome wasn't sure what to do, or how to thank him. Words failed her as she struggled to get a hold of herself. Before she realized what she was doing, she had reacted, and hugged him. He'd probably just saved her life.

If she was confused as to how to thank him, he was shocked into complete surprise when she so openly embraced him. She was often open with her gestures of appreciation for them all, but she didn't often embrace them, for any reason, and he knew that Kurama and she were closer than the rest of them. Perhaps that was a result of him being a kitsune and her unique past with a kit but none of that mattered at this second, because right now she was embracing _him_ and no one else.

Instinct and possessiveness prompted him to return her tight embrace as he rubbed her lower back lightly in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. He could still feel her anxiety pouring off of her though it was lessening as the seconds passed. Words didn't need to be spoken; he knew that she was grateful for what he'd done, but what did she expect? That he would have let her fall and hurt herself? The idea made him frown. He may have not been the most expressive person in the world, but she had to know that he at least cared for her on some level, right?

Before he could question it further, he heard her murmur softly. "Snow."

Kagome relaxed the more that she was in the hiyoukai's arms. He was so warm, and so strong, something that belied his size. Someone so small couldn't be this strong, but he was proving her wrong, as he often did. He was always surprising her in some way, just like today; she had thought that he might just let her fall, and laugh at her later, but he had saved her. He had come from the darkness of his tree to rescue her, and it was something she hadn't expected. It wasn't as if they hated one another, quite the opposite. But it wasn't as if they were declaring undying love for one another, either. Of all the Reikai Tantei, Hiei was the one she'd spoken to the least. It wasn't for lack of trying on her part, but he wasn't a conversationalist. If the topic didn't include his sister, disemboweling something, or making fun of someone, he wasn't particularly interested. They had an understanding; she would heal him when he was hurt, and he would watch over her and protect her from demons when the occasion arose. It was a mutually beneficial situation, for the both of them. They didn't interact much outside of the dojo or the dinner table, and though she'd attempted to get to know him better, he hadn't been particularly responsive to her advances. With a light sigh, she closed her eyes as he hugged her back, relief flooding her. She thought he might throw her off or toss her to the ground. It wasn't a huge secret that Hiei wasn't very affectionate with the team; hell, he wasn't that affectionate with Yukina, whom he'd come clean with decades before. Before she could stop herself, she took in a deep draught of his scent and couldn't help but murmur the smell that tickled her senses. "Snow." It was such a strange thing, to smell snow, but it was coating his hair, and in her immortality she had gained some heightened senses, and one of those heightened senses was her sense of smell. She'd never been close enough to him to ever know what he _smelled_ like, but in this moment, he smelled of the crisp, clean, purity of snow. Perhaps the snow was resonating with his koorime blood, who knew? All she knew was that with her nose buried lightly between his neck and his hair, she smelled snow.

His eyes widened in surprise before they furrowed in slight confusion. Yes, it was snowing; had she hurt something before he could catch her, particularly her brain? His eyes turned to her, as his hold tightened lightly, allowing her to see his quizzical stare. Kagome turned her head when she felt him shift his so she could look into his eyes, hers full of a softness he hadn't seen before; in his entire life, no one had looked at him with such tenderness, and he sure as hell hadn't seen such a look on her face before, not even towards the kitsune, or her own family. Whenever she looked at her family, he always saw pain and lingering regrets; when she was with the kitsune, he saw disappointment, as if she expected something else, but wasn't quite sure what she was expecting; and with Yusuke? Well, with the toushin, it was as if she was looking at someone else sometimes, and that unnerved him a little. He'd heard about her little tryst with the inu-hanyou in the past, and he had heard stories that the toushin and the hanyou had similar personalities; he'd often wondered if she would love Yusuke like she had loved Inuyasha, but nothing ever came of their relationship except for friendship. When Keiko passed on, she had helped him cope with the loss, and he had recovered. She'd done the same for him when the oaf had died. Lately, it was as if the detective was back to his old self, but that same sadness and loneliness was in her eyes when she would look at Yusuke, something that irritated Hiei on a few different levels. However, right now? Right now he was puzzled by her statement.

He blinked lightly when she smiled wider and leaned in to whisper softly, "Do you know your hair smells like snow?" His eyes widened as he looked into her soft, sapphire eyes. That compassion and tenderness was endless, as if she could devour him with those gentler emotions. No one had cared about him before; they wanted him for his expertise and his strength – if he died or disappeared, it was no loss to them. In his long and lonely existence, he couldn't name a single person who truly cared about him and his well-being, and no one, ever, had looked at him like she was at this very second. His throat tightened unexpectedly, as he leaned in to place a tender kiss on her forehead. "Be careful next time, onna." He said, his voice gruff with the sudden emotion. Before she could reply, he was gone, back into the safety of his tree as he watched her, afraid of what had just happened, and yet, longing for more.

Kagome watched the emotions play over his eyes, as she whispered the answer to his unspoken question. He didn't reply, but it was clear that her answer had surprised him. She was about to pull back from embarrassment, but before she could, he'd closed the distance between them and kissed her forehead. Shock slipped into her features for just a moment, as a jolt shot down from the top of her head where his soft lips touched, to the tips of her toes which were cold with the wet, and melting snow slipping further and further into her shoes. Foreign warmth filled her heart, one that she hadn't felt since her days of traveling with Inuyasha, and she moved to look up at his face, but he was already gone, leaving her standing there as cold reality hit forcefully upon her and she finally flushed darkly.

She opened her mouth to say something, but her voice was missing in action. A cold droplet of water raced down her spine, getting her attention in a very powerful way. Her eyes darted down from the foliage that was hiding the hiyoukai to the ground where she saw her spilt groceries and her fallen umbrella. Instinct prompted her to action as she quickly knelt down and began recovering the food that had fallen; the bags were slowly becoming useless, but she managed to salvage one of them to quickly put the groceries in, once more coming to stand on the steps. Her eyes darted back to the tree a second, before she quickly made her way up the steps, this time succeeding in the attempt. She nearly made it to the door, before she became stiff and still, her hand paused over the doorway, her form now sheltered from the snow by the porch roof. Her heart was racing in her chest as she hesitated in her steps, not going inside just yet, because this situation felt so unfinished; they had unfinished business between them. Who was he to suddenly kiss her like that? Was he toying with her? For as long as she knew him, Hiei didn't toy with people – opponents yes, people, no. He was such a difficult person to be around sometimes; he let so little of himself show that it frustrated her on more than one occasion in the beginning of their relationship. Lately, she took it with a grain of salt – Hiei was who he was, and there wasn't anything really that she would change about him. She accepted him as he was, and he had accepted her, even if he'd never said as much. Her thoughts spun lightly in her mind before she finally just let it go. If it was a one-time thing, then she would look on it fondly; a memory that not just anyone would have with the fire apparition. If it turned into something more, well, then she'd have to assure him that she wasn't offended. She knew that he would be questioning himself hard over the small display of tenderness. With her expression gentling, she smiled before she turned her head back to look in the tree that hid him from view. "Thank you." She said softly; though it was raining, she knew that he would be able to pick up her words, if not the thought itself. She knew that his Jagan was a powerful thing.

Hiei watched her quickly ascend the steps and he swallowed hard; she was acting as if she were running from him. Was she upset at what he did? She should have been, no one cared for him; he was just a bastard child. He was a forbidden person, he should have never existed. How could he have mistakenly thought that she could care for him? Despair and frustration filled his aura as he watched her make her way towards the porch. He would make sure she got inside but then he was leaving – he'd crossed a line that he'd never thought he would cross, and he was disgusted with himself, and with her, for making him feel like this. When he lifted his eyes though from the tree, they locked onto sapphire blue again and his breath caught once-more in his throat. That same, warm, tender look was in her eyes, and though he knew she couldn't see him, she knew he could see her, and that expression, that loving, gentle look, was for him; for him and no one else. His negative thoughts disappeared as quickly as they'd festered as he saw that look, and even more-so, when he heard her softly spoken, "Thank you." He let out a quiet breath of relief. A tenseness he hadn't been aware of flew away, and he found himself bracing against the tree for support as he watched her walk inside the house. She didn't hate him…no…she cared about him very much. It filled his heart with a warmth that he didn't completely understand, but maybe with time…he would.

With one last glance to that spot, hidden beneath the leafy greens of the tree, Kagome's smile brightened, before she turned, opened up the door, and disappeared into the house.

'_I could learn to really love the snow…'_

A/N: So that's it. I hope you all enjoy it. :D The last sentence is meant to be ambiguous. Was that Hiei's thought? Or Kagome's? I leave it for you to decide.

Kudo's, Loves!

Sayuri-chan aka animeinvasiongirl


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